John Giuliani, CEO of Conversant®, Joins Data Point Capital Team

BOSTON, March 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Data Point Capital, a Boston-based venture firm primarily focused on funding companies that can be leveraged and scaled on the internet, today announced the addition of John Giuliani as a Special Advisor to the organization. In addition to taking the helm of Dotomi and building the company until it was sold for $295 million, John most recently was CEO of Conversant which was sold to Alliance Data in December, 2014 for $2.3 Billion. John comes to Data Point Capital with over 30 years of experience helping and growing successful businesses.

"I could not be happier to have John join our group," said Scott Savitz, Managing Partner of Data Point Capital. "John and I shared board room responsibilities for Bluestem brands, a company that flourished over the last decade into what is now a billion dollar retailer. During that time, I was witness to John's breadth of experience across marketing and sales, as well as his prowess for building great teams. I also enjoyed seeing John create superior exits for his investors with the sales of Dotomi and Conversant, both of which John served as CEO. John loves entrepreneurialism and creating winning operations no matter how challenging the environment."

"I am delighted to be part of Data Point Capital," said Giuliani. "I'm not surprised by all the success Scott is having with the firm. By marrying up a team of operators who have had remarkable track records with a breed of top notch entrepreneurs, good things will happen. Clearly, this can be seen in how well the companies are performing in Data Point Capital's Fund I and how quickly the firm has been recognized as one of the top go-to firms for early stage investing. I look forward to working with the rest of the Data Point Capital team and to being part of such a strong platform for helping many more entrepreneurs enjoy the same kinds of success I have enjoyed throughout my career."

Giuliani joins a set of other successful entrepreneurs and business executives that make up what is an impressive Special Advisory group to Data Point Capital that have also committed as investors, including Lars Albright (Co-Founder Quattro Wireless), Colin Angle (Co-Founder IRobot), Fred Bertino (Co-Founder MMB and former President and Chief Creative Officer Hill, Holliday), Desh Deshpande (Co-Founder Cascade and Sycamore Networks),  Diane Hessan (Co-Founder Communispace), Steve Papa (Co-Founder Endeca), Alan Phillips (Co-Founder Where.com), Jim Salzano (Former President of Clarks) and Len Schlesinger (Former Vice Chairman, COO Limited Brands/Victoria Secret).

According to Lars Albright, Special Advisor to Data Point Capital, "John has had spectacular success developing leading companies during very transformative times. His ability to understand customers, evolving technologies, and changing behaviors – while creating extraordinary value for clients, employees and ultimately investors – will be of tremendous benefit to Data Point Capital and the many all-star companies that make up the Data Point Capital portfolio. As the firm continues to grow and make additional investments, it is nice to have a bench as deep as Data Point Capital has, especially with people like John Giuliani being added to the team. I know I speak for all of us involved when I say John will fit right in."

About Data Point Capital
Data Point Capital focuses on companies that can be leveraged and scaled on the Internet and touch the consumer. Categories of interest include mobile, gaming, social networks, payments, comparison shopping, e-commerce and emerging technologies. Our opportunistic approach allows us to invest in companies that are at key inflection points in their lifecycles. The firm is made up of business executives and internet leaders who have created tremendous value through building a number of very successful companies (in many cases, again and again). At Data Point Capital, we like to think of ourselves as entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs and that by investing with independent thinking based on real, differentiating innovation and complimentary key metrics, superior results can be achieved.

About John Giuliani
President and chief executive officer of Conversant beginning December 2012. Mr. Giuliani joined the senior management team and board of Conversant in August 2011 after the acquisition of Dotomi, where John served as chief executive officer. John Giuliani is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in growing successful organizations. Before joining Dotomi, Mr. Giuliani founded Rainmaker Consulting Group Inc., which specialized in strategic sales and marketing consulting for marketing services firms. He also served as President of North America for Catalina Marketing Services, providing behavioral insights, database marketing and Internet solutions to key Fortune 1000 companies. His leadership at Catalina resulted in record revenues and net profits. Additionally, Mr. Giuliani's tenure includes four years at ACTMEDIA working with the launch team of the Instant Coupon Machine, as well as in CPG sales and marketing with Beecham Products and Frito-Lay, Inc. He has participated on boards for Bluestem Brands, Q Interactive, SuperMarkets Online, Affinova, Claria, Imagitas, and El Dorado Marketing. Mr. Giuliani has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, as well as a B.S. from the University of Illinois.

SOURCE Data Point Capital